Railway-switch.



No. 805.413. PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905.

G. H. GOLVIN.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, 1905.

L fi 7g Mum '1 a Hum! T H I I fa lHl lltllm 4 a J f auuawfoz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

Application filed April 8, 1905. Serial No. 254,573.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. GoLvnN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brookston, in the county of WVhite and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway-switches; and it has for its object the provision of a simple, practicahand durable switch which when set for a clear main track will permit a train to pass from asiding into themain track and when set for a siding will permit a train to pass along the main track in the direction 0pposite to the entrance of the siding without damage in either case to switch or rollingstock and without changing the set of the switch.

Theinvention will be fully understood from the following description and claims, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in Which- Figure 1 is a general view illustrating my novel switch as set for a siding. Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken through the operat: ing-bar of the switch and the parts above said bar. Fig. 3 is a section taken in the plane indicated by the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 looking toward the left, and Fig. 4 is a section taken in the plane of the line 4 at of Fig. 2.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings, referring to which i I A is the unbroken or continuous main-track rail of a railway.

B is the interrupted main-track rail; G, a turnout or siding rail which merges into the rail B; D, the complementary siding or turnout rail, and E and F the laterally-movable switch-rails. The said switch-rails E and F abut at their heels against the ends of rails B and D, respectively, are provided with tapered points, and are connected through the medium of a tie-bar a, so as to assure their moving together or as one piece. In the switch-rails E and F slots 6 are formed, the said slots being registered with apertures c in the rails at the outer sides of the switch-rails and being designed to permit ofexpansion and contraction of the rails due to heat and cold.

G G are wear-plates secured on a sleeper or tie and resting under the movable ends of the switch-rails E and F.

H H are wear-plates disposed at the inner sides of the switch-rails.

I is a fixed keeper disposed at one side of the railway.

J is the switch-operating bar, which extends under the rails A, B, E, and F and is provided with means, preferably notches (Z and e, for engaging the keeper I.

K K are abutments, preferably metallic blocks, arranged on and bolted to the bar J and having grooves f in their under sides receiving the said bar, whereby they are held against lateral movement thereon.

L L are rods fixed with respect to the abutments K and extending through the slots .7) in the switch-rails and the apertures c of the adjacent rails, and M M are coiled springs mounted on the rods L and interposed between the abutments K and the wear-plates H at the inner sidesof the switch-rails.

I contemplate in practice connecting the bar J with a target designed to indicate the position of the switch-rails relative to the main track and the siding. The said target may be of the conventional or any other suitable construction; but as it forms no part of my invention and may be omitted without affecting the invention I have deemed its illustration unnecessary.

In the practice of my invention it will be observed that when the bar J is moved in one direction and its notch (Z is engaged with the keeper 1 the switch-rails will be moved to and yieldingly secured in the position shown in Fig. 1, while when said bar J is moved in the opposite direction and its notch e is placed in engagement with the keeper I the switch-rails will be moved to and yieldingly held in their other positionc'. a, with the switch-rail F resting away from the rail A and the switchrail E being close against the inner side of the rail B. In the first-mentioned position the switch-rails will obviously cause a train traveling in the direction indicated by arrow to pass into the siding and in the second-men tioned position will cause the said train to continue on the main track. In the event, however, of a train moving on the main track and through the switch in the direction opposite to that indicated by arrow when the switch is in the first-mentioned and illustrated position it will be noted that the passage of the train will be unattended by damage to either switch or rolling-stock, and subsequent to the passage the switch will automatically reassume the position illustrated. Likewise when the switch is in the second-mentioned position it will be observed that a train may pass from the siding and through the switch to the main track, and subsequent to its passage the switch will reassume its second-mentioned position, and this without injury to either switch or rolling-stock.

The capabilities mentioned in the foregoing are due to connecting the operating-bar J with the rails E and F through the abutments K, the rods L, and the springs M, for it will be seen that while the abutments, rods, and springs will transmit motion from the bar J to the switch-rails when said bar is moved, yet the switch-rails may be moved against the action of the springs without movement of the bar J.

It will be gathered from the foregoing that the grooves f in the under sides of the abutments K preclude lateral movement of the latter on the bar J, and thereby assure the bar J and the rods L freely moving in planes parallel to each other, which contributes materially to the easy operation and reliability of the switch. It will also be gathered that the direct interposition of the coiled springs M between the switch-rails and the abutments enables each spring to tightly hold its complementary switch-rail against the adjacent fixed rail, and thereby conduces materially to the safety of the switch.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a railway-switch, the combination of fixed rails, laterally-movable switch-rails disposed between the fixed rails and connected so as to move together, a transverse operatingbar disposed below the rails and having abutments located between the switch-rails, rods fixed with respect to said abutments and extending loosely through the switch-rails and the fixed rails, coiled springs mounted on the rods and interposed between the switch-rails and the abutments, and means for holding the operating-bar against casual movement.

2. In a railway-switch, the combination of fixed rails, laterally-movable switch-rails disposed between the fixed rails and connected so as to move together, a transverse operatingbar disposed below the rails and having notches, abutments fixed to the bar and having grooves in their under sides snugly receiving the bar, rods fixed to said abutments and extending outwardly through apertures in the switch-rails and fixed rails, coiled springs surrounding the rods and interposed between the abutments and the switch-rails, and a fixed keeper arranged to be engaged by the notches of the operating-bar.

3. In a railway-switch, the combination of fixed rails having transverse apertures, laterally movable switch rails disposed between the fixed rails and connected together and having oblong apertures, wear-plates disposed below the movable ends of the switch-rails, a transverse operating-bar disposed below the rails and having notches, abutments fixed to the bar and having grooves in their under sides snugly receiving the bar, rods fixed to said abutments and extending through the apertures in the switch-rails and fixed rails, wearplates mounted on said rods and arranged at the inner sides of the switchrails, coiled springs mounted on the rods between the latter wear-plates and the abutments, and a fixed keeper arranged to be engaged by the notches of the operating-bar.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE H. COLVIN.

itnesses:

R. B. BAILEY, GUY Gr. JENNING. 

